Chapter 154 Profession

Standing nearby as a spectator, Natasha watched the dynamic among the four of them with a sense of bizarre fascination. They appeared to operate as a team with Qiu Fengyu as the leader, yet they made decisions regarding someone's stay or departure through such a peculiar democratic process. She grew immensely curious about this group.

They did not even bother to lower their voices or avoid her presence while discussing these matters. Indeed, following a four-way vote—which included his own ballot—Davis was ousted by an overwhelming margin of three to one. This left him utterly dejected, completely robbing him of the joy of having successfully completed a difficult mission.

"Cheer up!" Tim walked over to Davis, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a deeply sorrowful expression, "This is something we cannot change. Next time... I shall carve your name onto the faces of our enemies to pay tribute to you." With that, he let out a heavy sigh, acting as though he were heartbroken.

"Get lost!" Davis snapped at him in a foul mood.

"Hey, Davis, this is the boss's decision. To be honest, if I lose someone in the team to bully, things are going to get pretty boring," Ryoko Yoneyura glanced sideways at Davis and said, "Why don't you talk to the boss yourself and ask him to show some mercy? Stop acting like a sissy."

Her words actually made a lot of sense. Ryoko was subtly giving him a way out. She was somewhat reluctant to see him leave, even though she occasionally loved tormenting him. Davis instantly put on a fawning, ingratiating smile, sidled up to Qiu Fengyu, and wheedled, "Boss, I know you're doing this for my part, but... seriously, compared to you guys, Laura is really nobody. Just think about it. How long have I known her, and how long have we known each other? We've been through life and death together... but there's no such bond with her. Whose connection could possibly be as deep as brothers who have faced life and death side by side? So... if I have to choose, I'd rather never leave this team, even if it's just the two of us left..."

"Hey, hey, Davis, what are you talking about? Are you implying that I'm going to leave this team?" Tim protested indignantly. "We are a single entity; nobody is leaving."

"You heard that. We are one!" Davis chimed in.

Qiu Fengyu frowned and looked over at Ryoko. She said indifferently, "Do whatever you want. I don't care. One more doesn't make a difference, and one less isn't missed. He's just dead weight anyway."

That statement was somewhat hurtful. But when all was said and done, Ryoko had implicitly expressed her support for him remaining on the team. Davis did not refute her; instead, he grinned and nodded at her submissively.

Tim also shrugged, spread his hands, and said, "Don't look at me. I've always just done whatever you say. Don't say I lack agency; I'm still just a kid, and you're fully capable of fulfilling the responsibilities of my legal guardian. So... whatever my guardian says goes, I'm completely on board."

Still just a kid? Was there ever a child who carried an SVD sniper rifle around and killed people? This little guy was a slippery fox. He possessed the thoughts and actions of a fully grown adult, and nowadays he looked down upon the kids at his school because he considered them far too childish.

"Fine, you can stay for now, but... the moment you get a girlfriend or decide to get married, you must leave the team. There is no room for negotiation on this," Qiu Fengyu said sternly to Davis. "Because our ultimate goal..."

"I know, I know. Our goal is to ensure that each of us can live comfortably and lead completely normal lives. So... Boss, I promise you, the moment I get the urge to start a family, I'll let you know." Davis immediately broke into a wide grin, having gotten his way.

Natasha stood dumbfounded, watching how these four individuals casually overturned a serious decision they had reached just moments ago through a formal vote. Furthermore, none of the others seemed to care in the least that the decision had been reversed, treating the whole thing with total indifference. This... seemed to completely defy all conventional rules of business.

Well, they were just country folk, and country folk logic was beyond her comprehension. Natasha comforted herself, telling herself to just get used to it. Deep down, she mentally stamped this ragtag group with the label of "useless for any serious undertaking," resolving that should any situation arise in the future... even if they could be of some utility, she would never easily cooperate with them again.

Naturally, Qiu Fengyu and his companions cared very little about what Natasha was thinking at the moment. They figured their chances of dealing with this woman again in the future were slim to none, making her opinions completely irrelevant to them. Having received his pardon, Davis was in high spirits once more, feeling confident enough to tease Tim and even talk back to Ryoko's threats.

Fortunately, none of them held grudges. The four of them remained downstairs with no immediate plans to leave.

An hour and a half later, Reese came down the stairs. Though traces of tears still lingered on her face, her emotional state appeared much improved. She walked down and seated herself next to Qiu Fengyu, saying, "I can't believe those people would resort to such brutality. Damn it, I just hope the police have already caught them."

"Yes, the FBI will catch them, but... it's a pity they won't be sent to prison, but rather to the morgue. That's where terrorists truly belong," Tim chimed in with a cheeky grin.

Natasha's pupils constricted sharply. Although she did not fully grasp the implications of what they were saying, a profound sense of unease washed over her. Reese had never spoken to her about Qiu Fengyu, this Chinese man. Why did Reese hold such an attitude toward him? Just how much did Reese actually know about this man?

While Natasha was lost in thought, Qiu Fengyu had already stood up and turned to Reese. "Are you planning to stay here, or go back to your own home?"

"I'm staying here," Reese replied without a moment's hesitation.

Natasha frowned slightly and looked at Reese. "But... if you're not at home, those reporters..."

"To hell with those reporters!" Reese declared with intense irritation. "My friend almost lost her life, and you expect me to sit at home acting like nothing happened just to pander to the paparazzi? No, I won't do it."

Natasha gave a helpless shrug, sighed, and said, "Very well... I'll handle that situation for you." This was the duty of a manager—she could not allow Reese to become distracted by such trivialities.

"So, should we take April to the hospital now?" Reese asked Qiu Fengyu, still harboring some concern.

"No need, she will recover just as well right here," Qiu Fengyu shook his head. "If you don't wish to expose yourself to the public eye, then by all means take her to the hospital. I have no objections."

Reese pondered for a moment before finally nodding. "Alright, I'll listen to you."

Though the sentence sounded ordinary enough, Natasha found it rather strange. Since when had Reese become so compliant? It seemed... there were very rarely moments like this. Consequently, she could not help casting her gaze back toward Qiu Fengyu. What on earth was so magical about this Chinese man?

"Let's leave it at that for now. She should wake up shortly. Talk to her more; I've seen many people go through harrowing ordeals and, without psychological counseling, end up in bad shape or falling into depression. You're her friend, and she will listen to you," Qiu Fengyu said as he turned away. "I'm going to make dinner. We'll eat here shortly. I don't know what's left in her refrigerator, so don't be picky—we eat whatever is available."

With that, Qiu Fengyu headed toward the kitchen. Unable to suppress her curiosity any longer, Natasha finally spoke up, "Mr. Qiu, if I may be so bold as to ask, what is your profession?"

"Me?" Qiu Fengyu turned around, looked at Natasha, and smiled. "I'm a cook." He then walked off toward the kitchen.

The expression on Natasha's face clearly indicated that she did not believe for a second that Qiu Fengyu was merely a cook. She shifted her gaze to Reese. Reading her thoughts, Reese shook her head with a smile and said, "Yes, he's a cook, through and through. He runs a ramen shop in a small town in Texas."

"That is simply... unbelievable!" Natasha exclaimed in astonishment. "Why does it feel like he's more like... a highly capable police officer or a senior executive?"

"And yet he's just a cook!" Reese laughed, finding it so amusing that she let out a few chuckles. A cook? Was there ever a cook like this? A cook holding a gun, who had braved a hail of bullets to rescue April. The thought brought another smile to her face.

During dinner, Natasha finally understood why Reese insisted on referring to Qiu Fengyu as a cook. The dishes he prepared were extraordinarily delicious—so much so that it felt as though she had never tasted anything remotely this good in her entire life. She almost bit her tongue off out of sheer eagerness, a realization that left her slightly embarrassed, yet she could not stop stuffing food into her mouth.

"Marrying a cook is the absolute best choice," Natasha said with a grin at Qiu Fengyu after finishing her meal. "Mr. Qiu, your culinary skills are truly world-class. I could even give you a suggestion—why not open a restaurant here in Los Angeles?"

"You're not the first person to suggest that!" Ryoko chimed in coldly from the side. "If it were possible, he would have become the most prominent chef in Los Angeles long ago. So... do you really think saying that makes any difference?"

"Someone else has said this before?" Natasha looked at Qiu Fengyu in surprise, though she quickly regained her composure. After all, it wasn't a particularly brilliant idea; anyone with ambitions for expansion would naturally think of it.

"Yes, I brought it up too!" Reese laughed with a touch of helplessness. "But... you know how it is, this guy is as stubborn as a mule, an absolute stubborn jackass. I'll bet twenty dollars if anyone here can actually talk him into expanding his business to Los Angeles."

Not a single person took the bet, because they all knew that wanting Qiu Fengyu to abandon his ramen shop in Abilene to open a restaurant in Los Angeles was impossible unless he changed his mind entirely of his own accord.